Is it permissible to translate the Quran?
Question:
Is it permissible to translate the Qur’an, for example, into English, French, or Hebrew?
Answer:
To translate the Qur’an into another language is an impossible task, for the wording of the Qur’an in Arabic is a miracle, one that cannot be replicated in another language. However, it is permissible to translate the meanings of the Qur’an, which means to translate the explanation or Tafsir of the Qur’an. Therefore one should choose a trusted Tafsir book in Arabic one that is in accordance with the way of our pious predecessors and then proceed to translate it into another language, so that people of other languages may know the meanings of the Qur’an.
We should not forget, though, that it is obligatory upon every Muslim to learn Arabic, the language in which the Qur’an was revealed, and the language of the Shari’ah, so that one may correctly understand his religion, his Lord’s speech, and the Prophet’s Sunnah.
